Im so honored and proud to announce that a story about my artwork is running in the New Yorker as of 42 minutes ago. This would never have happened if Roxanne Rodriguez hadnt gotten me a job planning Broadway opening nights because thats where I met Douglas Fitch from Giants Are Small who invited me to a storyboard meeting where he turned to me (as little Germanic paper cuttings went by on the screen) and said, Hannah, can you do this? I scanned my body and thought of the thousands of snowflakes Id made in my life and KNEW I could do it, even though I didnt know for sure and didnt know what Scherenschnitte was. (Okay...so, thats technically fibbing, but I had faith that I would prevail!) Why did I know I could? Because my mom MaryAnn Faubion Kohl did art with my sister Megan Kohl and me every single day growing up, which made me brave, and because my dad Michael L. Kohl taught me how to make and build a million things, giving me confidence and a sense of structural engineering and form. That job from Doug Fitch and Edouard Getaz turned out to be a commission for the New York Philharmonics production of A Dancers Dream: Two Works by Stravinsky. After that, I made myself a website on wix to host my work. Chris Ams posted it to his Facebook page where three hours after it went live, my work was discovered by journalist Richard Morgan who stayed with the story for 14 months, never resting until the story was published by the New Yorker. For his kindness, persistence, and faith in my work, I will be forever grateful. Im also deeply indebted to the many people who have commissioned (or acquired!) pieces and have supported my work since I made my first little snip in May, 2013: Peter Dean, Elisa Stein, Thomas Meehan, Lynn Ahrens, Gretchen Jones NYC, Brian Selznick, Shu Chadwick, Benjy Shaw, Jennifer Asmundson, Libby Barber, Michelle Villers Robb, Will Reynolds, Bev Brooks Nevin, Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer, Sydney Douglas, Matteo Martis, Owen Wright, Adam Davidson, Minwoo Song, Cristin Hubbard Miller, Rachel Kohl-Weiler, Louise Kohl, Brittany Kohl, Ned Harkness, Megan Kohl, Lillis Nelson Meeh, Okieriete nd Oak, Joseph Lee, Alexei Smirnov, Abby Doyle, Melissa Levis, Beth Kirkpatrick, Joel Waggoner, Scott Hedley, Shirley MacLaine, John Tiffany, and the writers and composers of New York Song Space, Adam Gwon, Hunter Bell, Jeff Bowen, Michael Kooman, Chris Dimond, Kait Kerrigan, Brian Lowdermilk, Marcy Heisler, Zina Goldrich, Georgia Stitt, Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, Chris Miller, and Nathan Tysen who commissioned a piece for Kara Unterberg. (If I missed you, Im sorry! Im kind of flipping out!) Without you, how could I have paid my rent or purchased my tiny scissors or grown as an artist as you pushed me into new subjects and styles? And with a gratitude that goes beyond words, thank you, Eric Price for shouldering the burden this year so I could take a creative and artistic leap. I love you so much and I will never forget what you did for me. Happy birthday to me! I got a story in the New Yorker for my 39th Birthday!!! (Insane. I keep happy-crying.) Art is a singular pursuit that is supported by the entire fabric of life and friends and wonderment we find around us. I am amazed and so grateful that I get to do this. Thanks, all!
Posted on: Fri, 12 Dec 2014 16:04:06 +0000
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